Opinion: Election outcome gives nation a shot for change

Shravani Page | Staff Writer

 Let’s be real, what in the world was this election?

On Saturday, Joe Biden passed 270 votes in the Electoral College- thank you Pennsylvania- which denotes he will most likely become President of The United States.

But this race was nearly equal. In my pessimistic nature, that detail still sticks out to me. That race really could’ve gone either way. 

Biden’s first 100 days are said to look familiar to FDR’s. A period filled with massive, bold, and dynamic reform. The pandemic may be his first target. 

These past 8 months have served as a time of great suffering for many Americans and now we are relying on Biden to help us get out of it-which conspicuously, he claims to do. Our nation has been at an economic downfall fueled by many factors- a major factor being unemployment. Along with that, the past few months have additionally brought a series of crises regarding climate change, racial injustice, and immigration.

I call Biden a “band-aid” sometimes. 

I feel his campaign will bring reform and I remain thankful for that. However, if we want this nation to heal and rejuvenate, we need a transformation, not a reformation. 

It can be predicted that Biden’s first 100 days will be fixated on improving our conditions amid the pandemic. We can expect his administration to take some measures regarding increased precautions, policies trying to increase economic growth, along with maybe a few policies tackling racial injustice, climate change, and immigration.

But there are a lot of things that stand in his way. 

For example, Trump’s spending has left this country in a further deficit. Ted Kaufman, the leader of the Biden transition team, said “when we get in, the pantry is going to be bare.”

There’s a possibility Biden will face a rather Republican Senate as well which may attempt to thwart Biden’s agenda and a chance at re-election. He’s walking on thin ice right now.

Going back to the number of votes, Joe Biden didn’t triumph by a dramatic difference, which means there are still millions of Americans who are in favor of an America fueled by constant division, inequality, and an ongoing superiority complex. There will be many who will not be in favor of Biden’s propositions.

But the fact that the gap wasn’t dramatic makes me question whether unification will even be possible at a given point in the future. This race has rooted itself into the deep foundations of our country. We have questioned a lot and will continue to do more. 

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris face a broken America. We are a broken, damaged society. 

But I’m proud of us this year because we fought for change. We knew we needed an opportunity for change. Maybe now it’s time to take that chance. 

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